Mel Gibson

fun faith fact! Mel Gibson's The Passion was one of the first smash hit Christian films.

Despite everything--a drunken-driving arrest, an anti-Semitic outburst, movies brimming with graphic violence--Mel Gibson still considers himself a Christian. His Passion of the Christ changed everything for Hollywood when it comes to matters of faith, waking up the powers-that-be to the box office potential of the Christian audience. Even after Gibson's PR nightmare, his Apocalypto went on to make a reported $50 million--and was seen by many as a Christian allegory, despite its ancient Mayan setting. Photo courtesy of Alan Light.